PS5 & Xbox Series X – Which HDMI 2.1 Cables are Right?

If you want to play at up to 120 fps at 4K resolution, you need the right cable. (Image source: hdmi.org)

The Xbox Series X and PS5 support gaming at 4K resolution with up to 120 fps. But you don’t just need a television or monitor that has a correspondingly high frame rate and an HDMI 2.1 connection. You also need an HDMI 2.1 cable that has the necessary bandwidth.

Does the PS5 come with an HDMI 2.1 cable?

Yes, an HDMI 2.1 cable is included with the PlayStation 5. Before the release in autumn 2020, rumors circulated that the PS5 only comes with an HDMI 2.0 cable. The reason for this was that the consoles sent to journalists in advance mostly included cables labeled “High Speed ​​HDMI Cable”, although HDMI 2.1 cables would have to be labeled “Ultra High Speed”. But it was just a wrong label.

This label is the main source of confusion around the PS5’s cable. (Image source: Youtube channel TheRelaxingEnd)

What about the Xbox Series?

The Xbox Series X comes with an HDMI 2.1 cable, but the Xbox Series S doesn’t. With the latter, however, this is also not necessary, as it is designed with its lower performance for a resolution of 1440p. You don’t need HDMI 2.1 for this, even if the Xbox Series S supports it in principle. You can find out more about this in our article on the scope of delivery and packaging of the Xbox Series X and S.

So when do I have to buy a cable?

Regardless of which of the new consoles you own or want to get, you don’t need to buy any cables at all. All cables supplied are sufficient to deliver the promised gaming performance of the respective console. You only need a new cable if the one supplied is too short for you or if it breaks. The HDMI cable of the PS5 is 1.5 meters long, that of the Xbox Series X is two meters.

How do I recognize an HDMI 2.1 cable?

A full-fledged HDMI 2.1 cable must have a bandwidth of at least 48 Gbit / s. But since very few customers can do anything with this number and not everyone knows HDMI 2.1, the cables are usually labeled differently. The most common is Marking 8Kthat is supposed to signal that the cable is suitable for 8K TVs. Such cables should be designed for 8K 60 Hz and thus easily manage 4K 120 Hz, provided the labeling is correct.

Due to its brevity, “8K” is often the only marking that can be found in large letters on the cable plugs. Further information such as “HDMI 2.1”, “4K 120 Hz” or “48 Gbps” can then be found in the item description. It is also important that Kennzeichnung “Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable” (compared to “High Speed ​​HDMI Cable” with HDMI 2.0), which should be printed on the cable itself in the case of certified products.

The HDMI Forum published instructions on how to recognize correct HDMI 2.1 cables at the beginning of 2020 – long before the certification process even began.

Complete certainty that it is actually a cable certified by the HDMI Forum is only provided by the enclosed certificate with the words “ULTRA Certified Cable” and “HDMI Ultra High Speed” and a QR code. The QR code can be scanned with a special app and checked for authenticity. You can find out more about this directly at the HDMI forum.

How important is the certificate?

HDMI 2.1 cables with a certificate are not necessarily better than those without a certificate. Since the certification process started very late, namely in the 3rd quarter of 2020, many manufacturers did not want to wait that long and launched their products on the market beforehand without a certificate. Some have made up for the certification later, others have waived until now.

When in doubt, a certified cable is of course more trustworthy than a non-certified one. Nevertheless, we would recommend above all to pay attention to reviews before buying and to buy from trustworthy shops so that you can exchange the cable if you have problems. In the end, this is more important than the certificate.

Which cable should I buy?

The HDMI 2.1 cable from Ultra HDTV is protected by a nylon sheath.

There are now quite a few HDMI 2.1 cables on the market. Here we have listed a few products for you from manufacturers that we believe offer reasonably reliable quality. We have marked cables with certificates.

Please note: Even if all of the cables mentioned support HDMI 2.1, there can still be significant differences in quality, for example in terms of sheathing, break resistance and workmanship. By the way, if your console is more than five meters from the television, you will likely become one Fiber optic cable * have to grab. Copper cables generally lose too much speed over long distances to still deliver the full 48 Gbps.

Which TVs support HDMI 2.1?

4K TVs that support HDMI 2.1 are still in the minority right now, but their number is growing rapidly. We have already put together an overview of the most important models for you in a separate purchase advice:

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* This purchase advice was not commissioned by an advertising partner, but a list of recommendations. The offers listed here are provided with so-called affiliate links. With a purchase via one of these links you support GamePro: We receive a small commission from the provider without affecting the price. Do you have any suggestions for articles that we should include? Feel free to write them in the comments.